Environmental causes Flashcards

1
Q

7 examples

A

Tabacco, weight/diet, Alcohol, UV, pesticides, oestrogens, solvents

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

how many substances are suspected/ known to cause cancer (2002)

A

228

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is the latent period

A

a fixed time between exposure and appearance of malignancy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is the concept of age at expression

A

regardless of age at exposure, induced tumours will tend to be expressed at the same time as those which occur spontaneously

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

In 2015 how many deaths were due to tobacco in the UK

A

21% of all deaths

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what % of cancer is caused by cigarette smoking

A

15%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

2 carcinogens in cigarette smoke

A

Benzene and Acrolein

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what increases the risk of mouth, voice box and oesophagus cancer in smokers

A

drinking more than 2 drinks/day (alcohol)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

5 cancers strongly linked to being overweight/ physical inactivity

A

breast, endometrium, kidney, colon and oesophagus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what % of major cancers is accounted for by inactivity and obesity

A

25-30%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

UV radiation and cancer

A

from sun, tanning beds etc… causes premature ageing of the skin and DNA damage that leads to melanoma

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what does UV do to the DNA

A

it makes pyrimidine dimers form, causing a kink in the DNA, stalling replication, nucleotide excision repair used (but doesn’t always work)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what is the major carcinogenic wavelength

A

UVB 290-320

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

xeroderma pigmentosum (XP)

A

increased sensitivity to killing by UV radiation and UV-mimetic chemicals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what does classical XP exhibit

A

a defect in nucleotide excision repair

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what is complete carcinogen

A

when it initiates and promotes activities

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

UVB effects on local and systemic immune function in skin

A

it dampens the immune system, decreasing immune response

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

how many ingredients in pesticides are found to be carcinogenic agents

A

at least 20

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

3 examples of banned pesticides

A

ethylene oxide, DDT and hexachlorobenzene

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what cancers are caused by pesticides usually (7)

A

blood & lymphatic, lip, stomach, lung, brain, prostate and melanoma

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

HPV and cancer

A

causes cervical and anal cancer, women who have sex at 16 or many sexual partners are at increased risk

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Hep B and C and cancer

A

major causes of liver cancer, risk factors are exposure to blood products, injection drug use and unprotected sex w many partners

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

EBV (epstein-barr) and cancer

A

linked to some lymphomas

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and cancer

A

linked to kaposi’s sarcoma and occurs through close person-to-person contact

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

oestrogens and cancer

A

HRT is linked to endometrial cancer, breast cancer and a reduction in colon cancer. taken in combo w progesterone can protect against risk

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

what is tamoxifen

A

a SERM used to prevent recurrence of ER+ breast cancer after treatment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

what risks are associated with tamoxifen

A

increased risk of stroke, endometrial cancer and blood clots

28
Q

what did Diethylstilbestrol (DES) do to women’s daughters

A

those that were exposed before birth to DES had more chance of developing a rare cervical and vaginal cancer.

29
Q

what was DES

A

synthetic form of oestrogen prescribed to pregnant women

30
Q

immunosuppressants and cancer (+ 2 examples)

A

cyclosporin and azathioprine are associated with increased cancer risks such as lymphoma

31
Q

aspirin and cancer

A

regular consumption can lead to reduced risk of colon cancer

32
Q

benzene and cancer

A

causes leukaemia in humans, inhaling contaminated air is the primary method of exposure e.g. in petrol stations

33
Q

what are dioxins

A

unwanted byproducts of chemical processes that contain Cl and hydrocarbons, they accumulate in fats and break down slowly

34
Q

what dioxin is known to be particularly carcinogenic

A

TCDD (2,3,7,8 - tetrachlorodibenzo-pdioxin)

35
Q

how is the general population exposed to TCDD

A

eating dairy products, fish, meat inc. poultry

36
Q

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and cancer

A

exposure to them increases incidence of lung, skin and urinary cancer

37
Q

what is the primary source of PAHs

A

burning wood and fuel for homes

38
Q

examples of PAHs (2)

A

pyrene and benzo(a)-pyrene

39
Q

asbestos and cancer

A

asbestos fibres lead to increased rates of mesothelioma (cancer of lung lining)

40
Q

what was the cause of the largest % of occupational cancer

A

asbestos fibres

41
Q

3 main hypotheses regarding the pathogenesis of asbestos induced mesothelioma

A
  1. the oxidative stress theory
  2. the chromosome tangling theory
  3. the theory of adsorption of many specific proteins as well as carcinogenic molecules
42
Q

explain the oxidative stress theory as a hypothesis regarding the pathogenesis of asbestos induced mesothelioma

A

based on the fact that phagocytic cells that engulf asbestos fibres produce large amounts of free radicals because they cant digest the fibres.
- iron-containing asbestos fibres appear more carcinogenic

43
Q

explain the chromosome tanging theory as a hypothesis regarding the pathogenesis of asbestos induced mesothelioma

A

asbestos fibres damage chromosomes when cells divide

44
Q

explain the theory of adsorption of many specific proteins as well as carcinogenic moleules as a hypothesis regarding the pathogenesis of asbestos induced mesothelioma

A

asbestos fibres in vivo concentrate proteins or chemicals including the components of cigarette smoke

45
Q

which metals are classified as group 1 carcinogens (4)

A

Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, nickel

46
Q

what is a mechanism of heavy metal-induced damage

A

oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS)

47
Q

what happens when exposed to ROS

A
  1. disruptions in tumour supressor gene expression
  2. damage repair processes
  3. enzymatic activities concerned in metabolism via oxidative damage
48
Q

cancer associated with beryllium

A

lung

48
Q

cancer associated with arsenic (5)

A

skin, lung, bladder, kidney, liver

49
Q

cancer associated with cadmium

A

lung

50
Q

cancer associated with chromium

A

lung

51
Q

cancer associated with lead (2)

A

kidney, brain

52
Q

cancer associated with nickel (2)

A

nasal cavity, lung

53
Q

how do toxic metals interact with proteins?

A

bind to protein sites that they’re no meant to (e.g. transporters) which induces oxidative stress

54
Q

what happens as a result of toxic metals interacting with proteins

A

oxidative deterioration of biological macromolecules e.g. DNA.

55
Q

what are aflatoxins

A

cancer causing substances produced by certain types of fungi growing on food

56
Q

what foods do aflatoxins commonly grow on

A

peanuts and grains

57
Q

what cancer is associated with aflatoxins

A

liver

58
Q

why is there a higher risk of aflatoxins in developing countries

A

there is no screening for the fungus

59
Q

what is vinyl chloride

A

a colourless gas used by the plastics industry

60
Q

what cancers are associated with vinyl chloride

A

lung, angiosarcomas of the liver and brain

61
Q

what ionising radiation can both cause and ‘cure’ cancer

A

x-rays, gamma rays, alpha particles, beta particles, protons and neutrons

62
Q

what is Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) A.K.A louis-barr syndrome

A

an autosomal recessive disorder referred to as a genome instability or DNA damage response syndrome

63
Q

how is AT usually characterised (4)

A

cerebellar degeneration, telangiectasia immunodeficiency, radiation hypersensitivity and cancer susceptibility

64
Q

what cancers are associated with AT

A

lymphomas and leukaemia, carriers can have GI and breast cancers

65
Q

how is DNA damage induced by environmental mutagens resolved?

A

disparate repair and/or replicative pathways

66
Q

what is the NCI GDC

A

cancer analysis system, is used to analyse data and compare data sets in the GDC